Tinker Trainer Slayer Spy
by theanimationfanatic
Summary: Three years after his battle with the Red Death, Hiccup wants to see more of the world than just the island of Berk. When Hiccup finally gets his chance to leave Berk, it's not for the reasons he'd hoped. Visitors and misunderstandings lead to Berk preparing for possible war.  rated T for later violence. Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. Rights belong to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell
1. A Little Bit of Freedom

Three years. It had already been three years since the battle with the Red Death, and Hiccup still couldn't find a way to speak to his dad without having the conversation fall into silence or grow awkward.

_All I wanted was to have a little freedom. A chance to travel, see a few new places while I'm still young. Is that really too much to ask? _It seemed as if Hiccup would never be able to get through to his father, no matter how proud Hiccup had made him in the past. He had killed the deadliest dragon known to man! He could take on a foreign land and a few foreign people. But no, he had to stay put on Berk and see to _formalities _and all the silly little things that came with being the chief-to-be.

"Dad, come on, why can't you just listen to me? I'm not in charge yet, I should be doing all the traveling I can _before _I become the chief! Before I have to stay here on Berk for the rest of my life! I need to learn about all those other places- the cultures, the people! I've even begun studying a couple new languages, I-"

"Now JUST a minute, son." Hiccup's rant was sharply interrupted by his father, Stoick the Vast. The man could silence anyone with just a wave of the hand. Except Hiccup, of course. It took a bit more yelling to quiet the stubborn-headed young viking. "Look, Hiccup, I'm not saying it's not a good idea for you to go off on your own and learn to fend for yourself a little more, but I really do need you here to help me keep things in order. Especially since I've just gotten word that one of my old friends will be visiting Berk soon. A distant cousin, actually. You've met him before."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Seljast, chief of the Askr Gotar tribe on Stenr Isle. You were only six or seven years old when he last visited. You may not remember him, but he and I were close friends. He normally visited three or four times a year, but things changed. That's what I need to talk to you about, Hiccup."

"So what, your cousin's coming to visit and I just _have _to meet him? We get visitors from other tribes every other month, dad! Aside from the fact that you two are relatives, why should this visit be any different?" Hiccup was trying not to let his voice rise to a shout. Was this really the only reason his father needed him to stay on Berk?

"That's not the only reason I need you here" Stoick continued as if he had just read Hiccup's thoughts. "I told you that Seljast stopped visiting for a reason. Well, that reason was his wife."

"What? What about his wife? Did she leave him for someone here on Berk?"

Stoick shook his head. "No, she was taken. Killed-"

"_Killed?!_ Someone on Berk killed your cousin's wife?"

"Not some_one_." Stoick brought his face closer to Hiccup's and lowered his voice. "Some_thing. _Seljast's wife was killed... by a dragon."

Hiccup's breath caught. After a moment he answered, "Oh." It was all he could think of to say.

"Now do you see? You're needed here to keep this whole matter of the dragons under control. My cousin doesn't know we've got a bunch of tamed dragons flying around the island. Once he finds out, it's not unlikely he'll be angry. He might even feel betrayed. I am asking _you_, Hiccup, to show him that the dragons are not what we used to think they were. Do it for me, son? For the tribe?" Stoick stared down at Hiccup, not much shorter now than he, with an expectant look. Hiccup sighed. He knew he could never refuse a task like the one his father had just asked of him. Looking back to his father, Hiccup nodded slowly. "Okay, fine. I'll do it. But I'm sure you know what I'm going to ask from _you _now, right?" He shifted his feet and waited a few seconds.

Stoick looked like he was deep in thought. There was silence for a moment between father and son. "You want to travel" he finally responded. "Hiccup," Hiccup's heart leapt as he anticipated what his dad would say next.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup's heart quickly sank back down. "I think your plans will have to wait. Even after Seljast leaves, there's still so much I need you to do here. You've got to take on more responsibility now that you're at a decent age to assist me in my duties as chief. That title will be yours one day. You need to be prepared." He looked away from his son. He knew that Hiccup would hate his answer, but it was for his own good. And the good of the tribe.

"I understand. I'll do as you ask... chief." Hiccup instantly took on a cold, formal tone as he spoke his last sentence. He gave a brief nod to his father, then turned on his heel and walked mechanically away. Stoick felt bad for the boy. He was the chief, but he was also a father. He watched for a few more seconds as Hiccup marched sullenly off towards the forge.

**...**

"Oi! What in Thor's name has got yer undies inna bunch, lad? Put down that hammer! You look like yeh're abou' ready to kill someone."

Gobber the Belch had slammed open the door to the forge only to find his apprentice in a fit of anger and frustration. The boy was beating a smithing hammer down over a lump of metal, which was slowly forming into something not even Gobber could figure out. He had witnessed similar cases in the past; Hiccup would come in after having a chat with his father, grab something heavy, and start pounding out chunks of heated metal into all sorts of weapons and contraptions. Nevertheless, he had never seen Hiccup in such a state as this one. _Clang! _The hammer beat down on the metal again with a ringing that made Gobber's ears hurt. "What's gotten into ye teday? Don't suppose you were talking to the, _ehem_, chief_, _were yeh?"

Hiccup, not even glancing up to look at Gobber, grunted a confirmation and wiped the sweat that had gathered on his brow with the back of his hand. Gobber shook his head in annoyance and turned to head back out, knowing full well that he wouldn't get any time to focus in the forge with Hiccup in such a huff. But before he could so much as put his peg leg through the doorway, Gobber heard Hiccup sigh and he knew an angry rant was about to follow.

"I was talking to my dad just an hour ago," Hiccup started. "I asked him about when I would finally get my chance to leave Berk and do some real traveling."

"Aye, I remember yeh tellin' me about yer plans. Don't forget you still need to take that book on Latin home teday, I don' want it in my forge around all the fire and such."

"Yeah yeah, I know." Hiccup brushed away Gobber's interruption as he struck the metal again. _Clang!_ "Anyway, my dad told me that he couldn't let me leave the village. Not for a while. I need to stay here and 'carry out my duties as the chief-to-be.' Can you believe him?! Doesn't he understand that I don't _want _to stay cooped up on this island for the rest of my life? I need to explore the world, learn things! I know that doing something like that could better me for the future. But _no_! I have to hang around this stupid island that I could literally circle around on foot in fourty-eight hours! I just..."

Gobber nodded understandingly. "I get it, lad. You need some time to be on yer own. And ye _can _do that. Just make more time for you and Toothless to go flying! Have some 'Hiccup time' up in the air, no one to hold you back. Ye know wha' I mean?" He smiled warmly, thinking he had found the solution to the problem. Of course he hadn't. "No, _you_ don't understand either" Hiccup answered heatedly. "That's not freedom. Well... it is, sort of, but it's not freedom from Berk. Every time I go flying with Toothless, I know that I'm going to turn around at some point and come straight back here. I want to know how it feels to leave this all behind and head off to face something unexpected. Something exciting! Don't you get it, Gobber? That's what I want. Just a little bit of freedom." With those words, Hiccup set down the hammer and, using a pair of tongs, took hold of the hunk of glowing, shaped metal out of the hot coals. Water hissed and steamed as he lowered the metal into the water barrel to cool.

Once the metal had cooled, Hiccup lifted it back out and set it down on the nearest workbench. He put away his tools quickly and neatly, then passed Gobber as he slipped out of the forge without another word. Weary and ready to go home too, Gobber decided to take a moment and see exactly what Hiccup had created. He stepped towards the workbench and lowered his head for a clearer view. The chunk of iron had been pounded and shaped into what looked like a... bird's feather? Gobber shook his head and shrugged, muttering something to himself as he hobbled out of the forge. He didn't give the metal feather a second thought.


	2. Visitors

Hiccup woke up in just as bad a mood as the one he had gone to sleep in. He sighed, throwing off the sheets. He slipped on his boots and threw on a green tunic over his pants. It was going to be another long day. People to see (people he would rather avoid), dragons to train, and no time to himself in his workshop. He wouldn't get to finish his stupid project, either. Oh! He had left that last piece sitting on the workbench!

_Gobber probably saw it... Oh well, he probably couldn't even tell what it was. I haven't added in any of the details yet. _

Hiccup remembered storming out of the forge the night before, forgetting the crudely shaped metal feather in the process. The thing wasn't any longer than the length from his wrist to the tips of his fingers, and no wider than... well, a typical bird's feather.

_Whatever. It's not like he'll know what it's for, anyway._

Perfect. Of course, nothing ever went how Hiccup wanted it to go. Another wonderful day for a chief-to-be. He tiredly left his house and strolled down in the direction of the dragon training academy to get in some flying time with Toothless. Toothless, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found at the moment. Just when Hiccup thought his plans for the day couldn't get any more irritating, they did.

"Son!" Stoick called up to Hiccup. The chief was waiting down near the docks, waving over at his son to join him. Hiccup groaned and tried to pretend like he hadn't heard his father call him. He kept himself composed but picked up the pace a little, hoping he could escape another "chat" with his dad.

"Hiccup! Get down here! There are a some people here I'd like you to meet!" _Just keep walking Hiccup..._

"NOW!" Stoick bellowed. The man meant business. _Ughh, why? Why me? _Hiccup reluctantly turned his head towards the docks and waved, signaling to his father that he had, in fact, heard him.

"Coming dad" Hiccup answered. He was so _not _in the mood for this today. He headed down towards the docks, squinting at the two figures standing next to Stoick. They were both tall... and thin. As he got closer, Hiccup figured that the two people were definitely female. He focused his eyes a bit more as he got closer. One of the visitors wore a dark braid going down the side of her head. The other, the slightly taller one, wore her long hair loose and wavy. The hair was almost white, it reminded Hiccup of a winter spirit. Neither girl was smiling. There was something off-putting about them. They could never fit in with people like the Berkians, they seemed too... elegant. They stood up straight, with their necks long and their chins up. Like royalty. Hiccup didn't like it.

"Hiccup, I would like you to meet our new guests." Stoick smiled eagerly at Hiccup and tilted his head towards the two girls.

"I thought you weren't expecting anyone until next month?" Hiccup hissed softly, leaning in towards his father. He was careful not to make his behavior come off as shady or offensive to the "guests." Stoick only chuckled.

"Well you see, we didn't really, erm, get a notification beforehand, but-"

"Our father explained to us that we were to be sent here early." Both Hiccup and Stoick gave a start as the taller girl cut into Stoick's comment. "Our father sends his apologies for not informing you sooner, but it was imperative that we arrived here before he did to make sure everything was ready for his visit. Just to make sure nothing is... out of place." The girl's voice was just a little deeper than Hiccup had expected it to be. It was richer, Hiccup wanted her to keep talking but at the same time never wanted to hear the voice again. There was the faintest trace of something sinister in the way it sounded. For all the richness that that voice possessed, it was cold. The shorter girl nodded her head in agreement and looked silently from Stoick to Hiccup. Her lips curved into a sly smile as her eyes met Hiccup's. She gave a furtive raise of her eyebrows and winked at him, then turned back to Stoick before anyone but Hiccup could notice. "We are very thankful to have been received so graciously by the chief of Berk" she said. This voice had a coarser, displeasing quality. "We're sure Seljast will be pleased to hear how hospitable the Berkian people are."

"Wait, did you say Seljast?" Hiccup asked.

"Aye" Stoick cut in. "These girls are his daughters. I'm sorry, I don't believed I gave a proper introduction. Hiccup, meet Sjenna," the shorter girl with the braid nodded and winked again, "and Krista" the taller one looked to Hiccup and gave a small smile. Not just her voice was beautiful. _She _was beautiful. Hiccup was unable to focus correctly for a moment.

"Are you sure there won't be any problems with the two of us staying here on the island for the next few weeks?" Krista was speaking again. "We won't be any trouble, really. We can take care of ourselves and we'll stay out of the way while the rest of your people go about their business. It will be like we're not even here." Krista had politely turned her attention back to Stoick, who answered her heartily.

"Nonsense! You ladies are our guests! The entire tribe welcomes you to our modest island. This evening we will have a feast in your honor. When your father arrives, we'll hold an even bigger one! One of my closest friends is finally coming back for a visit after so many years of silence. This is a time to celebrate!" Stoick's laugh boomed, startling a few civilians who were passing by. Krista, whom Hiccup could only guess was the older of the two, thanked the chief again and led her sister away towards one of the grand boats that was tied up at a dock. As soon as the girls disappeared into a cabin somewhere belowdeck, Hiccup zeroed in on his father.

"What in Odin's hairy back was _that? _Seljast's daughters? Dad, what are they _doing _here? You told me that no one was visiting Berk for a few _weeks_."

"Well, erm, I _may _have been stretching the truth a little on that one" Stoick answered sheepishly. "I was honest when I said that Seljast wouldn't be arriving for another month. And so far that's held true! But his daughters... well, even _I _didn't know they were coming until two days ago." He shrugged, hoping his son would understand. Hiccup only rolled his eyes.

"Oh, sure! Just dump even more responsibility on me when I've already got enough to deal with!" He gave a sarcastic laugh. Stoick spoke up before Hiccup could go any further.

"Son, please. This is important. Not just to me, but to the tribe. We could be united again, Berk and Askr Ey. The Berkians and the Askr Gotar have a chance to make peace after that horrible accident with Seljast's wife. With you helping, everything will go so much more smoothly. Especially when it comes to the dragons. Speaking of which, where are all of the dragons right now? Wasn't today a training day?"

Hiccup smacked himself on the forehead. "Oh! That's right, I need to get to the academy! Dad, I have to go right now. Can we please, please talk about this later? I've got a lot to do today. I'll worry about Sjenna and Krista afterwards!" Hiccup turned to leave- and promptly tripped over nothing, causing him to do a beautiful faceplant into the ground. He spit out dirt. _What is _wrong _with me?! A lifetime of working with complex machinery and I still can't figure out coordination. _Hiccup could hear his father chuckling above him and felt himself being lifted up like a ragdoll. Two seconds later Hiccup's feet (real and mechanical) were planted firmly back on the ground.

"That's precisely _why_ I was asking about the dragons" Stoick said. "Sjenna and Krista don't know about them yet. More importantly, we can't have them finding out by themselves. They'll have a panic attack! We- well, _you_- have to ease the news onto them so that they know we don't mean any harm by having dragons here. I think it would be safer if you kept the dragons in the academy for a few days, just until we're ready to introduce them to our guests. Especially Toothless. All right?" Stoick put a meaty hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup exhaled.

"All right" he sighed. "But only for a few days. The dragons will get restless, it can't be for more than three or four days. And speaking of dragons, I've gotta go find a certain night fury. Now if you'll _excuse_ me." With that said, Hiccup turned back around (very carefully) and walked briskly away, determined to get to the academy before he was asked to deal with something else. As Hiccup passed the boats, two pairs of eyes followed his path from an unseen porthole. They looked curiously on as the boy made his way up the main path and down towards the far side of the village.

"Remember," a voice purred from behind the porthole of the grand boat, which floated silently in the harbor,

"It will be like we're not even here."

:::::::::::::::::

**note**:

okay, so this normally won't happen with me where I post multiple chapters in one day. I just happened to have had these first two all ready to go. I expect to be posting a new chapter or two mayyyybe every few weeks at most. That could change, but who knows. I'm a busy person. Thank you to anyone to who actually reads this!


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